His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: Ecumenical Patriarchate/Nikos Papachristou

2025 Templeton Prize Awarded to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

 — Apr. 10, 202510 avril 2025
Ecumenical Patriarchate. Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou

Today, Thursday, April 10, 2025, the John Templeton Foundation, in collaboration with the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust, announced that the recipient of the 2025 Templeton Prize is the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, the longest-serving Archbishop of the Apostolic Throne of Constantinople, is widely recognised, as noted in the Foundation’s official announcement, for “his pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual approaches to humanity’s relationship with the natural world, inspiring people of all faiths to become stewards of creation”.

Patriarch Bartholomew is internationally acclaimed for his groundbreaking contribution to ecological advocacy, interfaith dialogue, and peacebuilding efforts around the world. These include the unique “Religion, Science, and the Environment” symposia held aboard ships from the Amazon to the Arctic Ocean, his numerous ecumenical and interfaith initiatives within and beyond the Abrahamic traditions, and his sincere and courageous stance on matters of sovereignty and integrity in Ukraine and the pursuit of peace in the region.

On the occasion of this exceptionally prestigious award, the Ecumenical Patriarch issued the following statement:

“We accept with gratitude and humility this singular recognition, which reflects the philanthropic vision of Sir John Templeton, the remarkable founder of a global initiative investing in the human spirit and in the capacity of the human person to perceive and realise the potential of the Spirit.

This honour is not solely directed to our humble person, but also to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Apostolic See of St. Andrew the First-Called. For seventeen centuries, this Church of Saints and Martyrs, of Confessors and Theologians, has led the spiritual mission of teaching and transmitting the transformative Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world. We accept this unique honour in the name of this ministry to God and humanity.”

The Templeton Prize was first awarded in 1973 to Mother Teresa and has since been bestowed upon spiritual leaders such as Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as visionaries like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, King Abdullah II of Jordan, renowned environmentalist Dr. Jane Goodall, and distinguished scientists and peacemakers from around the globe. The Ecumenical Patriarch will formally receive the Prize in New York in September 2025.

This marks the second major international recognition bestowed upon the Ecumenical Patriarch in a short period. It is worth recalling that, on March 17, 2025, the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences of the Institut de France elected the Ecumenical Patriarch as a “foreign associate member” to the seat formerly held by the late Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger).

From the Templeton Foundation:

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the spiritual leader of 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians whose pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity’s relationship with the natural world have brought together people of different faiths to heed a call for stewardship of creation.

Using the stature of his office—the highest spiritual authority within the Eastern Orthodox church—he has convened groups of scientists, scholars, political leaders, and clerics from the Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim worlds. His “ecumenical imperative” to care for creation recognizes that science plays a critical role in helping religious leaders accept their responsibility to be good stewards of the Earth. In 1997, he made history by declaring that acts harming the environment—such as pollution, deforestation, and climate change—are not just practical missteps but moral failings. This pastoral teaching introduced a new category of sin—“ecological sin”—which has since influenced both religious and secular discourse on environmental ethics.

Posted: Apr. 10, 2025 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=14561
Categories: News • In this article: Bartholomew I, ecology, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Templeton Prize Transmis : 10 avril 2025 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=14561
Catégorie : News • Dans cet article : Bartholomew I, ecology, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Templeton Prize


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